Parish and Town council submissions to the Borough Council electoral review

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From: To: Subject: FW: Submission on Proposed New Ward Boundaries - Parish Council Date: 24 June 2014 09:52:31 Importance: High

Hi Mark,

Please see sub below for Stafford.

Regards, Helen

From: Diane Key Sent: 23 June 2014 18:48 To: Reviews@ Cc: Diane Key Subject: Submission on Proposed New Ward Boundaries - Church Eaton Parish Council Importance: High

Dear Sirs

Church Eaton Parish Council - Electoral Review of Stafford Borough Council Area Submission on Proposed New Ward Boundaries

At their meeting on 3rd June 2014, Church Eaton Parish Council agreed unanimously to write to you to express their opposition to the proposal made in the Draft Review that the current Church Eaton Ward and Wards are joined together to form the new ward of Seighford and Church Eaton.

While the Council acknowledges that the new ward will meet the criteria of being within the specified ratio of residents to Councilors, Church Eaton Parish Council feels that it in no way meets the community of interest test which the Boundary Commission states is a fundamental criterion which should underlie the review.

As the Parish Council, which represents residents in Marston to the south of Church Eaton, it is difficult to understand how the Commission would think that these residents have any common interests with those residents that live in the north of the proposed ward around Junction 14 of the M6. To travel from Marston to that area is a journey of over 12 miles either through narrow country lanes or by way of Stafford Town Centre. Church Eaton Parish is very much a rural parish and certainly cannot be compared with Creswell Parish which is to all intent and purposes a suburb of Stafford Town with emphasis on the M6 and the Creswell Industrial Estate. Indeed it is difficult to understand why any resident of Church Eaton Parish would wish to visit that area unless they were driving through it to other destinations in , or joining the motorway!

It is also clear that public transport, local shops, and links between local schools also remain firmly in the existing Church Eaton Ward and that nothing would be gained, improved or expand in the proposed new warding arrangements.

The council did however discuss other suggestions that had been published on your web site from interested parties as part of the original consultation and concurred with the view that the best interests of local residents would be served by dividing the proposed Seighford & Church Eaton Ward in to two single member wards which they felt would preserve the communities of interest without watering down representation.

Church Eaton Parish Council would therefore support the creation of a new single member Church Eaton Ward and a new single member Seighford Ward. The council suggests that in the case of the former the existing Church Eaton Ward should be joined to Ranton and Parishes. These two Parishes would be taken from the existing Seighford Ward, which would leave Seighford, , , and Creswell Parishes to form the new single member Seighford Ward. The Council would suggest that this new warding would not only strengthen “communities of interest” but would also produce to far easier to manage smaller wards which are still within the elector to councilor ratios as set out in the Boundary Commission Guidance.

The Council believes that the reasoning set out in the submission made by the Independent Group to the earlier consultation sets out in detail the thinking behind the joining of Ranton and Hyde Lea to the existing Church Eaton Ward is well argued and is one the Council fully supports.

Given these views Church Eaton Parish Council would urge you to reconsider your proposal, and in the interests of all the communities involved in your proposed ward, form two one member wards.

Yours faithfully

Diane Key BA(Hons) MSc Clerk From: To: Subject: FW: Haughton Parish Council re boundary changes Date: 25 June 2014 11:40:11

Hi Mark,

Please see sub below for Stafford.

Regards, Helen

From: Sent: 24 June 2014 14:27 To: Reviews@ Subject: Haughton Parish Council re boundary changes

With reference to the proposed new boundary changes, and in particular Seighford & Church Eaton ward, Haughton Parish Council wishes to make the following comments:-

1. It is proposed to group Bradley, Church Eaton, Haughton, Hyde Lea and Ranton to form a geographically compact area of rural communities with similar interests and challenges, forming an enlarged Church Eaton Ward.

2. This new proposed ward would have one ward councillor best able to represent the interests of a group of similar minded communities.

3. The grouping of rural communities in the current Church Eaton Ward has worked well under one ward councillor for the past 25+ years.

4. If we were combined with the current Seighford Ward, represented by two ward councillors, we feel that we would be somewhat eclipsed by the challenges of the semi-urban part of the larger ward.

5. The proposed regrouping of the Church Eaton and Seighford wards into the separate wards would result in an almost identical number of electors represented by each ward councillor.

6. Retaining the two separate wards was proposed as a possibility by the Borough Council officers.

Clerk to Haughton Parish Council Fuller, Heather

From: Fuller, Heather Sent: 29 April 2014 09:44 To: Pascoe, Mark Subject: FW: Electoral Review of Stafford Borough

From: Parish Council Clerk Sent: 28 April 2014 20:49 To: Reviews@ Subject: Electoral Review of Stafford Borough

Dear Review Officer

Hilderstone Parish Council has considered the draft recommendations for the new ward boundaries for Stafford and concurs with the proposal for the ward. The Parish Council feels that two members are required to cover this ward due to the number and geograpical spread of the parishes and small villages.

Hidlerstone Parish Council would like to retain the name Milwich ward.

Regards

Helen Howie Clerk to Hilderstone Parish Council

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